Menu
News
All News
Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
Pathfinder
Starfinder
Warhammer
2d20 System
Year Zero Engine
Industry News
Reviews
Dragon Reflections
Columns
Weekly Digests
Weekly News Digest
Freebies, Sales & Bundles
RPG Print News
RPG Crowdfunding News
Game Content
ENterplanetary DimENsions
Mythological Figures
Opinion
Worlds of Design
Peregrine's Next
RPG Evolution
Other Columns
From the Freelancing Frontline
Monster ENcyclopedia
WotC/TSR Alumni Look Back
4 Hours w/RSD (Ryan Dancey)
The Road to 3E (Jonathan Tweet)
Greenwood's Realms (Ed Greenwood)
Drawmij's TSR (Jim Ward)
Community
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Resources
Wiki
Pages
Latest activity
Media
New media
New comments
Search media
Downloads
Latest reviews
Search resources
EN Publishing
Store
EN5ider
Adventures in ZEITGEIST
Awfully Cheerful Engine
What's OLD is NEW
Judge Dredd & The Worlds Of 2000AD
War of the Burning Sky
Level Up: Advanced 5E
Events & Releases
Upcoming Events
Private Events
Featured Events
Socials!
Twitch
YouTube
Facebook (EN Publishing)
Facebook (EN World)
Twitter
Instagram
TikTok
Podcast
Features
Top 5 RPGs Compiled Charts 2004-Present
Adventure Game Industry Market Research Summary (RPGs) V1.0
Ryan Dancey: Acquiring TSR
Q&A With Gary Gygax
D&D Rules FAQs
TSR, WotC, & Paizo: A Comparative History
D&D Pronunciation Guide
Million Dollar TTRPG Kickstarters
Tabletop RPG Podcast Hall of Fame
Eric Noah's Unofficial D&D 3rd Edition News
D&D in the Mainstream
D&D & RPG History
About Morrus
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
Forums & Topics
Forum List
Latest Posts
Forum list
*Dungeons & Dragons
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition
D&D Older Editions
*TTRPGs General
*Pathfinder & Starfinder
EN Publishing
*Geek Talk & Media
Search forums
Chat/Discord
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
A War Without Toys
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="talien" data-source="post: 7705288" data-attributes="member: 3285"><p><em>Dungeons & Dragons' </em>recent <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3623-D-D-Inducted-Into-National-Toy-Hall-of-Fame-%28Along-with-the-Swing-and-Little-People%29" target="_blank">entry into the Toy Hall of Fame</a> is noteworthy because the game has transcended its roots, becoming a full-blown hobby enjoyed by children everywhere -- and a hobby that, <a href="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3457-Who-Was-D-D-Meant-For#.WEXTWrIrJ_Y" target="_blank">as we've discussed previously</a>, wasn't originally targeted at children in the first place. And yet there was a time when toys were considered so trivial that holiday production was almost cancelled to support America's war efforts. In one fateful meeting, the fate of the Christmas toy industry hung in the balance. Without A.C. Gilbert, there may well have been no toy industry at all.</p><p></p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=79212&stc=1" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p><p>[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK][H=3]<strong>Building an Imagination Foundation</strong>[/H]</p><p>Dr. Alfred Carlton Gilbert was many things: an Olympian, a Yale graduate, and a magician. He was also the inventor of the Erector set in 1912, predating many other building toys. An <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=PNoDAAAAMBAJ" target="_blank">ad in <em>Popular Mechanics </em>from 1922</a> summarizes their appeal -- an appeal that will sound familiar to role-players: </p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">Gilbert Toys are fun, but they are more than fun. They are toys that stimulate the imagination. Boys who were playing ten years ago with Gilbert Toys, today are among the leaders in Engineering, Chemistry, Electricity. </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>Erector sets were inspired by construction workers erecting railroads with steel girders and rivets. The set included metal tools to put beams, nuts, screws, bolts, and more together in whatever fashion the boy desired. Gilbert passionately believed that this sort of imaginative play was good for America's children, <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=eL91AwAAQBAJ" target="_blank">as described in <em>Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society</em></a>: </p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">By offering these tools for building, Gilbert hoped to encourage construction and engineering abilities among America's boys. He believed that the ability to solve problems and create structures, no matter how small, would prevent boys from descending to the level of aimless, pessimistic, disaffected youth without skill or purpose. </p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>The hopes for these sets was reflected in Gilbert's philosophy for toys in general; that they paved the way for a more productive youth. Tabletop role-playing games could easily be the complement to the philosophy behind Erector sets, encouraging interest in the arts and humanities where Erector sets focused on the sciences. Both share a limitless framework in imaginative play that continues into adulthood:</p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">Mentioned in countless patents, including those for Flexible design construction toys, toy building elements, construction toys, and interlocking blocks, it is seen as a forerunner of toys designed to teach spatial thinking and to encourage mechanical and engineering pursuits. It has also served as a useful tool for adults making models for larger products.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>Gilbert's story doesn't end with the Erector set however. He had a very important role to play in defending the nascent toy industry at a time when it was most vulnerable: World War I.</p><p>[h=3]<strong>"The Man Who Saved Christmas"</strong>[/h]In 1918, the Council of National Defense seriously considered halting all production of toys indefinitely, turning factories into ammunition centers and even discouraging holiday gift-giving -- <a href="http://artofthegreatwar.info/articles/a-c-gilbert-the-man-who-saved-christmas/" target="_blank">all in attempt to fuel the war effort</a>: </p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">The Council hoped the ban would encourage people to buy more war bonds with the money they would have otherwise spent on Christmas toys. The Committee on Public Information created a campaign to essentially cancel Christmas—encouraging parents to “buy bonds, not toys.”</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>Gilbert, then president of the Toy Manufacturers of America, was given the one chance to make a passionate plea before the Council to preserve the toy industry. What he didn't realize then was he was <a href="http://articles.mcall.com/1997-12-21/features/3167311_1_toy-makers-toy-industry-toy-manufacturers/2" target="_blank">making an impassioned argument</a> for role-play and wargaming as well: </p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">He began by telling them that "the greatest influences in the life of a boy are his toys. Yet through the toys American manufacturers are turning out, he gets both fun and an education. The American boy is a genuine boy and wants genuine toys." What happened to the American girl in all this is not clear. But as Gilbert went on to praise toy air rifles, claiming they helped make American soldiers better marksman, members of his committee took the toys out of the wrappers and placed them on the table.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>Gilbert emphasized <a href="http://artofthegreatwar.info/articles/a-c-gilbert-the-man-who-saved-christmas/" target="_blank">creativity, imagination, and resourcefulnes</a> as an integral part of play: </p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">Gilbert testified that not only were these construction toys valuable learning tools, but they showed the long-term effects of fostering inventiveness, creativity, ingenuity, and problem solving abilities. Gilbert told Congress that we must take care of our current human resources, “our children,” for the perpetuity of American ingenuity and the value of learning.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>What happened next was a turning point in history. <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/89161/ac-gilbert-toymaker-who-actually-saved-christmas" target="_blank">The adults started playing with the toys</a>: </p><p></p><p>[HQ]<p style="margin-left: 20px">Gilbert then laid out his toys for the board to examine. Secretary Daniels grew absorbed with a toy submarine, marveling at the detail and asking Gilbert if it could be bought anywhere in the country. Other officials examined children’s books; one began pushing a train around the table. The word didn’t come immediately, but the expressions on the faces of the officials told the story: Gilbert had won them over. There would be no toy or gift embargo that year.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p><p>[/HQ]</p><p>There is a <a href="https://books.google.com/books?id=rc6HgH34s0wC" target="_blank">long line of development between the early 1900s of imaginative toys and tabletop role-playing games</a>, but it's safe to say that the connectivity between role-play and miniature wargaming was tested that day. Perhaps all adult gamers owe a small debt to a man willing to face down a war council in defense of imaginative play. </p><p></p><p><em>Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, communicator, and a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to </em><em><a href="http://amazon.com" target="_blank">http://amazon.com</a></em><em>. You can follow him at </em><a href="http://www.patreon.com/talien" target="_blank"><em>Patreon</em></a><em>.</em><p style="text-align: center"><span style="color: #FFFFFF"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'"><strong>Save</strong></span></span><span style="color: #FFFFFF"><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue'"><strong>Save</strong></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: center"></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="talien, post: 7705288, member: 3285"] [I]Dungeons & Dragons' [/I]recent [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3623-D-D-Inducted-Into-National-Toy-Hall-of-Fame-%28Along-with-the-Swing-and-Little-People%29"]entry into the Toy Hall of Fame[/URL] is noteworthy because the game has transcended its roots, becoming a full-blown hobby enjoyed by children everywhere -- and a hobby that, [URL="http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?3457-Who-Was-D-D-Meant-For#.WEXTWrIrJ_Y"]as we've discussed previously[/URL], wasn't originally targeted at children in the first place. And yet there was a time when toys were considered so trivial that holiday production was almost cancelled to support America's war efforts. In one fateful meeting, the fate of the Christmas toy industry hung in the balance. Without A.C. Gilbert, there may well have been no toy industry at all. [CENTER][IMG]http://www.enworld.org/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=79212&stc=1[/IMG] [/CENTER] [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK][H=3][B]Building an Imagination Foundation[/B][/H] Dr. Alfred Carlton Gilbert was many things: an Olympian, a Yale graduate, and a magician. He was also the inventor of the Erector set in 1912, predating many other building toys. An [URL="https://books.google.com/books?id=PNoDAAAAMBAJ"]ad in [I]Popular Mechanics [/I]from 1922[/URL] summarizes their appeal -- an appeal that will sound familiar to role-players: [HQ][INDENT]Gilbert Toys are fun, but they are more than fun. They are toys that stimulate the imagination. Boys who were playing ten years ago with Gilbert Toys, today are among the leaders in Engineering, Chemistry, Electricity. [/INDENT] [/HQ] Erector sets were inspired by construction workers erecting railroads with steel girders and rivets. The set included metal tools to put beams, nuts, screws, bolts, and more together in whatever fashion the boy desired. Gilbert passionately believed that this sort of imaginative play was good for America's children, [URL="https://books.google.com/books?id=eL91AwAAQBAJ"]as described in [I]Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society[/I][/URL]: [HQ][INDENT]By offering these tools for building, Gilbert hoped to encourage construction and engineering abilities among America's boys. He believed that the ability to solve problems and create structures, no matter how small, would prevent boys from descending to the level of aimless, pessimistic, disaffected youth without skill or purpose. [/INDENT] [/HQ] The hopes for these sets was reflected in Gilbert's philosophy for toys in general; that they paved the way for a more productive youth. Tabletop role-playing games could easily be the complement to the philosophy behind Erector sets, encouraging interest in the arts and humanities where Erector sets focused on the sciences. Both share a limitless framework in imaginative play that continues into adulthood: [HQ][INDENT]Mentioned in countless patents, including those for Flexible design construction toys, toy building elements, construction toys, and interlocking blocks, it is seen as a forerunner of toys designed to teach spatial thinking and to encourage mechanical and engineering pursuits. It has also served as a useful tool for adults making models for larger products. [/INDENT] [/HQ] Gilbert's story doesn't end with the Erector set however. He had a very important role to play in defending the nascent toy industry at a time when it was most vulnerable: World War I. [h=3][B]"The Man Who Saved Christmas"[/B][/h]In 1918, the Council of National Defense seriously considered halting all production of toys indefinitely, turning factories into ammunition centers and even discouraging holiday gift-giving -- [URL="http://artofthegreatwar.info/articles/a-c-gilbert-the-man-who-saved-christmas/"]all in attempt to fuel the war effort[/URL]: [HQ][INDENT]The Council hoped the ban would encourage people to buy more war bonds with the money they would have otherwise spent on Christmas toys. The Committee on Public Information created a campaign to essentially cancel Christmas—encouraging parents to “buy bonds, not toys.” [/INDENT] [/HQ] Gilbert, then president of the Toy Manufacturers of America, was given the one chance to make a passionate plea before the Council to preserve the toy industry. What he didn't realize then was he was [URL="http://articles.mcall.com/1997-12-21/features/3167311_1_toy-makers-toy-industry-toy-manufacturers/2"]making an impassioned argument[/URL] for role-play and wargaming as well: [HQ][INDENT]He began by telling them that "the greatest influences in the life of a boy are his toys. Yet through the toys American manufacturers are turning out, he gets both fun and an education. The American boy is a genuine boy and wants genuine toys." What happened to the American girl in all this is not clear. But as Gilbert went on to praise toy air rifles, claiming they helped make American soldiers better marksman, members of his committee took the toys out of the wrappers and placed them on the table. [/INDENT] [/HQ] Gilbert emphasized [URL="http://artofthegreatwar.info/articles/a-c-gilbert-the-man-who-saved-christmas/"]creativity, imagination, and resourcefulnes[/URL] as an integral part of play: [HQ][INDENT]Gilbert testified that not only were these construction toys valuable learning tools, but they showed the long-term effects of fostering inventiveness, creativity, ingenuity, and problem solving abilities. Gilbert told Congress that we must take care of our current human resources, “our children,” for the perpetuity of American ingenuity and the value of learning. [/INDENT] [/HQ] What happened next was a turning point in history. [URL="http://mentalfloss.com/article/89161/ac-gilbert-toymaker-who-actually-saved-christmas"]The adults started playing with the toys[/URL]: [HQ][INDENT]Gilbert then laid out his toys for the board to examine. Secretary Daniels grew absorbed with a toy submarine, marveling at the detail and asking Gilbert if it could be bought anywhere in the country. Other officials examined children’s books; one began pushing a train around the table. The word didn’t come immediately, but the expressions on the faces of the officials told the story: Gilbert had won them over. There would be no toy or gift embargo that year. [/INDENT] [/HQ] There is a [URL="https://books.google.com/books?id=rc6HgH34s0wC"]long line of development between the early 1900s of imaginative toys and tabletop role-playing games[/URL], but it's safe to say that the connectivity between role-play and miniature wargaming was tested that day. Perhaps all adult gamers owe a small debt to a man willing to face down a war council in defense of imaginative play. [I]Mike "Talien" Tresca is a freelance game columnist, author, communicator, and a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to [/I][I][URL]http://amazon.com[/URL][/I][I]. You can follow him at [/I][URL="http://www.patreon.com/talien"][I]Patreon[/I][/URL][I].[/I][CENTER][COLOR=#FFFFFF][FONT=Helvetica Neue][B]Save[/B][/FONT][/COLOR][COLOR=#FFFFFF][FONT=Helvetica Neue][B]Save[/B][/FONT][/COLOR] [/CENTER] [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Community
General Tabletop Discussion
*TTRPGs General
A War Without Toys
Top